TROOPS IN FIJI

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 31, 6 February 1941, Page 10

TROOPS IN FIJI

HEALTHY AND HAPPY

MEDICAL OFFICER'S VISIT

NEW QUARTERS

Good reports of the health of the New Zealand troops in Fiji and of the increasingly good conditions they are living under now that their new camps are nearing completion have been brought back by the Director-General of Medical Services (Brigadier F. T. Bowerbank), who has returned from a brief viesit to the islands. Interviewed by "The Post" he said that because the troops had to be sent to Fiji during the rainy season and before permanent camps could be prepared 'for them a certain amount of discomfort had been unavoidable, but all difficulties of that nature were being rapidly attended to, and from now on the men should have little cause for complaint about the provision made for their health, comfort, and recreation. "The troops arrived in Suva during the hottest and wettest part of the year," he said, "and because it had not been possible to prepare hutted accommodation for them in advance a certain amount of inconvenience and o. discomfort was, in those circumstances, unavoidable. However, the men appear to realise fully that they art. on active service and they have taken these temporary .inconveniences in good part. At the time of my visit they had become well acclimatised, and, along with the rest of the people of Fiji, no longer took any notice of the intermittent heavy showers which mark the rainy season. "The new camps are now nearing completion and most of the:., are already occupied. Some of the camps are completely hutted and in all of them the troops should be very comfortable. When I left Fiji the troops were settling down well into their new camps. The huts are well built, airy, and well ventilated and over each man's bed is a mosquito net. GOOD HEALTH RECORD. "Considering that Fiji is a tropica) country and that the New Zealanders have been there during the worst part of the year, their health record is very good indeed. There has been very : little sickness and the health of the men as a whole is very little different from that of the troops in the mobilisation camps in New Zealand. There j have been a few cases of measles and mumps, which the men took with them from this country, and a certain amount of simple alimentary disease, but none of it has been severe or epidemic. "No doubt many people will be amused to learn that some men had to make a brief appearance at sick parades because of a weakness for pineapples. When the pineapple season was in full swing and the fruit was very cheap one soldier who paraded sick admitted that he had eaten eight pineapples in one day. "A good indication of the condition of health-of the New Zealanders is that during the whole time they have been at Fiji there have, been only two cases on the seriously ill list, and none at all on the dangerously ill list. The two serious cases * -ere acute appendicitis which were operated on successfully. There was one death during a third operation, but ir view of the number of men in the Fiji force and the period they have been' there, this represents an exceedingly low mortality rate. . MILITARY HOSPITALS. "All medical arrangements for the troops are adequate and extremely good. Pending completion of a military hospital now in course of erection the civilian hospitals have given every possible assistance. During my stay I visited all camps and hospitals in all parts of the island, and frequent conversations with officers and men showed that they are quite happy, though, particularly in view of events in the Western Desert, all are chafing to join the other New Zealanders in : the Middle East. "I saw one big parade consisting of a large muster of the New Zealand troops and some of tho Fiji Defence • Force (mostly nr.t./es). I was very much struck willi ths bearing of all b the troops, especially the New Zealanders, who appeared to be very fit. "Because Fiji is a tropical country training must necessarily be lighter and for shorter periods than in New 1 Zealand. This means longer periods of idleness and creates a need for greater attention to-organised recreation if the physical and mental stamina of the troops is to be fully maintained. Cricket was being played while I was there, but full development of a sports programme has been partly delayed pending completion of playing fields. Bathing parties have been organised, but the shark danger [has prevented troops having as much • swimming as they would like. "The European women of Fiji have done splendid work in assisting with the entertainment of all ranks during off-duty hours. They are comparatively few in number, and their voluntary duty in the canteens alone has involved a great deal of hard work. Incidentally, a number of them to whom I spoke had a high opinion of the New Zealanders' behaviour. ATTENTION TO FOOD. "During the early stage of the New Zealanders' stay on the island there were some justifiable complaints about the food, but all that has now been rectified. The fault was partly due to the Army cooks' lack of knowledge of some of the native fruits and dishes and to the curious likes and dislikes of the men. For instance paw paw, looked upon as a delicacy by most Europeans, was not liked by the troops. A sister dietitian on the staff of the military hospital is assisting the cooks to provide a more varied and appropriate dietary." Brigadier Bowerbank said that the clothing issue had in some respects 1 proved inadequate for a climate where ; the men perspired profusely, thus requiring frequent changes and frequent ■ washing of clothes. Additional cloth- '■ ing has been issued and full provision made for laundering.